Combined pipe connection and orifice-disk housing



March 2 1926. 1,575,259

J. P. FISHER COMBINED PIPE CONNECTION AND ORIFICE DISK HOUSING Filed March 8, .921 26 /13/1 Patented hier, E, i826, n

UNITED srA'rss mraur orifice.

JAMES FISHER, F BARTLESVILLE, OKLAHOMA, ASSIGNOR TO DOHERTY RE- SEARCH COMPANY, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.. A CORPRATION OF DELAWARE COMBINED PIPE CONNECTION AND ORIFICE-DISK HOUSING'.

Application filed March 8, 1921. Serial No. 450,648.

To ail whom it may concern.: To this end an important feature of the 50 Be it known that I, JAMES P. FISHER, a invention resides in constructing the orifice citizen of the Unit-ed States, residing at disk housing of a pair of flanges spaced Bartlesville, in the county of lVashingapart by a distancesuch as to permit an oriton, State of Oklahoma, have invented cerfice disk to be freely inserted between them tain new and useful Improvements in Comand providing means movably supported ou 55 hined Iipe Connect-ions and Orifice-Disk one of the anges for forcing the orifice disk l-Iousings; and I do hereby declare the folagainst the other flange and for forming a lowing to be a full, clear, and exact descripfluid-tight connection between the orifice tion of the invention, such as will enable disk and the first-mentioned flange.

others skilled in the art to which it apper- Other important features of the inven- 60 tains to make and use the same. tion pertain to the form of the flanges This invention relates to a combined pipe and the construction and arrangement of the connection and orifice disk housing. The devices which form fluid-tight connections illustrated embodiment ofthe invention is of between the orifice disk and the flanges. The

the type used in meters which measure the last-mentioned features will appear more 65 rate of flow of fluids in accordance with the particularly from the appended claims. difference in pressure on opposite sides of In the drawings which illustrate a pre an orifice. y v er'red embodiment of' the invention;

`Orifice disk housings commonly comprise Fig. 1 is a view in side elevation of a coma pair of flanges each of which is threaded bined pipe connection and orifice disk hous- 70 on one of the pipe sections between which ing embodying the invention.

the housing is interposed. In the use of F ig. 2 is a View in elevation of the apparathe housings as formerly constructed, it has tus of F ig. 1, taken along the line 2-2 of' been necessary, in order to remove an orifice Fig. 1 and disk, to spread the flanges apart. The Fig 3 is a central, vertical section of the 75 sl'ireading of the flanges is often attended pipe connection and orifice disk housing with much difficulty, and it is sometimes taken on the line 3-3 of Fig. 2. found that sufficient clearance to enable a In the illustrated construction, the adjadisk to be withdrawn or inserted can be obcent ends of pipe sections 10 and 12 are tained only by bending the pipe. In such threaded into flanges 14 and 16 respectively. 80 eases, the insertion Jr-removal of an orifice As shown, the flange 14 is formed with a disk not only requires the expenditure of cylindrical portlon 18, and the flange 16 is much time and effort but may be the cause constructed to provide a cylindrical portion of weakening or evenlbreaking the pipe. 20 of greater external diameter than the por- In order to avoid these objections, an orition 18. The cylindrical portions 18 and 20 85 lice disk housing of improved form has been of the flanges 14 and 16 respectively extend devised, being described in Letters Patent of toward each other and are spaced apart the United States, No. 1,273,597, granted by a distance such as to permit an orifice to me on July 23, 1918. disk 22 to be inserted between them without An object of the present invention is to disturbing the relation ofthe flanges 14 and 90 provide an orifice disk housing which will 16 to each other or to the pipes 10 and 12. possess the advantages of kearlier forms of The Vflanges 14 and. 16 are also formed on housings as regards enabling the orifice disk their diametrically opposite sides with lugs to be securely held in place and permitting 24and 26 terminating in segmenbshaped it to be easily removed for purposes of subrims 28 and 30. The flanges 14 and 16 to- 95 stitution or adjustment, and which will be gether constitute a housing for the orifice composed of few parts which can be cheaply diskl as well/ as a connection for the pipe constructed and readily manipulated sections 10 and 12, and when the housing (itl is assembled, the contacting surfaces 32 of `the rims 28 and 30 determine the relative locations of the end faces 34 and 36 of the cylindricalfportions 18 and 20 of the flanges. Bolts 31 passing through the rims 28 and 30 secure the flanges 14 and 16 together The rims 28 and 30 on the lugs 24 and 26 are made relatively short so as to provide rectangular spaces 38 (Fig. 1) at each sit e of the housing of sufficient length to permit an orifice disk to be readily inserted or removed through them.

'lhe end face 36 of the cylindrical portion 2O of the flange 16 is rabbetted on its inner edge as indicated at 40 (Fig. 3) to provide clearance between the orifice disk and such portion of thc face. and interposed between the outer unrabbetted portion of the face 36 and the orifice disk 22 is -a gasket 42. The gasket 42 may be relatively thin and may be readily cut without the use of special tools from a sheet of suitable material. It has been ascertained by actual use of the invention that the gasket 42 is not required to possess any considerable degree of elastieity or compressibility so that the material of which it is composed may be comparatively inexpensive. The gasket herein illustrated is made from sheet packing of the character known to the trade as Permanite. For convenience in assembling the parts. the gasket 42 may be placed in proper position on the disk before it is inserted into the housing, and may be caused to adhere to the disk by shellac or other suitable material. The gasket 42 is also preferably coated with graphite on its right hand surface where it contacts with the cylindrical portion 20 of the flange 16.

Surrounding the cylindrical portion 18 of the flange 14 is a rubber packing ring 44, which by reason .of the reduced exterior diameter of the portion 18 with relation to the portion 20 of the flange 16 is of substantiallyA equal dian'ieter to the gasket 42. lVith this construction. when an orifice disk 22 is inserted in the housing, the gasket 42 and rubber packing ring 44 engage it at directly opposite points. f

A, ring 46, which may conveniently be termeda pressure ring, encloses the cylindrical portion 18 at the rear of the packing ring 44. The ring 46 is turned outwardly atits rear end to form a rib 48, and abutting against the rib 48 are a series of six screws 50 threaded into the flange 14. Surrounding the pressure ring 46 and the packing ring 44 is a third ring 52 which is hereinafter sometimes referred to as a retaining ring inasmuch as it prevents the packing ring 44 from being squeezed outwardly and retains it in close engagement with the pe riphery of the portion 18 of the flange 14, thereby precluding any escape of fluidV between the packing ring and said portion.

From the foregoing, it will be understood that by turning the screws 50, the pressure ring 4,6 may be forced toward the orifice disk 22 so as to clamp the gasket 42, orifice disk '22, and rubber packing ring 44 between the pressure ring 46 and the flange 16. In this manner, a fluid-tight connection is formed between the orifice disk 22 and each of the flanges 14 and 1G.

lVhen an orifice disk is inserted in the housing. the retaining ring 52 is preferably moved into close engagement with it. In this position of the parts, the packing ring 44 is positively supported at all points so that all possibility of the ring becoming distorted is eliminated. As shown, screws 54 are provided on the flange 14 for moving the retaining ring 52 and maintaining it against the orifice disk.

In order to facilitate the formation of fluid-tight connections about the orifice disk 22, the space between the end surfaces 34 and 36 of the cylindrical portions 18 and 20 of the flanges is of such size only as will enable the orifice disk and the gasket 42 to be readily inserted between them. The orifice disk is made quite thin, and the gasket 42 is also thin to avoid the' use of unnecessary material. To the end that the packing ring.r 44 may have suflicient body to make it durable and to enable it to form a fluid-tight connection between the orifice disk and the flange 14, it is constructed of considerable breadth and of a thickness greater than the combined thicknesses of the orifice disk 22 and gasket 42. In the illustrated construction the orifice disk 22 and gasket 42 have thicknesses of one-fourth and one-sixteenth inches respectively` and the packing ring 44 is made square in cross-section with a breadth 'and thickness of one-half` inch.

After the orifice disk housing has been assembled and installed in a pipe line, it is very desirable that the flanges 14 and 16 should not be required to be separated while the housing continues -in use. The packing ring, 44, however, deteriorates with continued use, and it is necessary'from time to time to substitute a new packing ring for it. In order that a new ring may be substituted without changing the relation of the flanges 14 and 16, the packing ring 44 is made in sections, each of which has a thickness not appreciably greater than the combined thicknesses of the orifice disk 22 and gasket 42. As shown, the packing ring is composed of two sections. each of which has a breadth of one-half inch and a thickness of substantially one-fourth inch.

In assembling the parts of the housing` the flanges 14 and 16 are first'. screwed on to the pipes to he connected, after which the pressure ring 46 is placed over the cylindrical portion 18 of the flange 14. and the rctaining ring 52 is slid into Place over th@ ring 4G. The fianges l-f and 16 are then bolted together. The sections of the packing ring 44 may then be passed one at a time through the orifice disk gap and seated against the pressure ring 46, which together with the ring 52'is pushed to the left (Fig. 3) away from the flange 16. The orifice disk Q2 and gasket t2- are next inserted, after which the ring 52 is forced into contact.` with the orifice plate by means of the screws 54. The assembly of the device is completed by tightening the screws 50 to compress the packing ring 44 and gasket 42 between the orificedisk and the pressure ring -16 and flange 16 respectively.

lith the illustrated construction, the insertion, removal or adjustment of an orifice disk can be very readily accomplised, inasunich as it requires only the tightening or loosening of the screws 50 and 54. Moreover, fluid-tight connections are provided between the. orifice disk and the flanges by the use of` a single rubber packing ring, pressure ring, and retaining ring. It is important that the number of rubber packing rings used shall be as small as possible since they are relatively expensive as compared, for example, with the gasket 42. rl`he cost of the illustrated construction is also kept down by' reason of the small number of its parts.

Althoughthe plate 22 in which the orifice is provided is referred to herein as a disk, it is manifest that the invention may be utilized in connection with .orifice plates of various forms.

. The invention having been fully described, what is claimed as new is:

1. In a device of the class described, an orifice plate, a housing for the plate, disposed between and connecting two adjacent pipe sections, said housing having a transverse opening permitting the insertion or removal of the orifice plate, a gasket interposed between the platepand the housing at one side of the plate, arpressure ring surrounding apart of the housing on the other side of the plate, a packing ring between the plate and the pressure ring, a retaining-ring surrounding the packing ring, means whereby said retaining ring may e forced against said plate, and means connected with the housing for forcing the pressure ring toward t'he orifice plate so as to clamp the packing ring, orifice plate, and gasket together bctween the pressure ring and the housing.

2. In a device of the class described, an orifice plat-e, a housing for the plate arranged to connect two adjacent pipe sections, said housing comprising a pair of fianges formed to present portions extending toward each other and spaced apart by` a distance such as freely to ermit the insertion and removal of t e orifice plate between them, one of said portions being of larger external dimensions than the other, a. gasket interposed between the orifice plate and the portion of larger dimensions, and means associated with the portion of smaller dimensions for forcing the orifice plate against the gasket and making a fluid-tight joint between the orifice plate and the flange comprising said last-mentioned portion.

3. In a device of the class described, an orifice plate, a housing for the plate arranged to connect two adjacent pipe sections, said `housing comprising a pair of flanges formed to present substantially cylindrical portions extending toward each other and spaced apart by a, distance such as freely to permit the insertion and removal of the orifice plate between them, one of said portions being of larger size than the other, a gasket intere posed between the plate and the larger cylindrical portion. a packing ring surrounding the smaller cylindrical portion opposite from the gasket, and means for forcing the packing ring against the plate.

4. In a device of the class described, an orifice/plate, a housing for the plate, constructed to connect two adjacent pipe sections, the said housing comprising a pair of flanges spaced apart by a distance such as to permit the orifice plate to be inserted between them, and means for forming fluidtight joints between the plate and the housing comprising a packing ring mounted on one of the flanges. ay retaining ring surrounding the packing ring, and means for moving the retaining ring into close engagement with the orifice plate to provide support for'the packing ring adjacent to the plate.

5. In a device of the class described, an orifice plate, a housing for the plate, disposed between and connecting two adjacent pipe sections, the said housing having a transverse opening permitting the insertion or removal of the orifice plate, a gasket forming a fluidtight joint between one side of the plate and 4the housing, and means for forming a fluidtight joint between the other side of the plate andthe housing comprising a packing ring movably mounted on the housing and of greater thickness than the combined thickness of the orifice plate and the gasket in order to impart to said ring suflicient body to make it durable and to form a fluid-tight connection between the lorifice plate and the housing, said ring being composed of seetions, each of said sections having a thickness not appreeiably greater than the combined thickness of the orifice plate and the gasket so as to enable the ring to be renewed without disturbing the main assembly of the housing.

6. In a device of the class described, an orifice plate, a housing for the plate, disposed between and connecting two adjacent pipe sections, the said housing having a transverse opening permitting the insertion or removal ofthe orifice plate, said opening bew ing of a Width sulicient only to enable the said ring being composed of sections, each plate to be readily inserted in it, and means -of the said sections having a thickness less for forming Huid-tight connections between than the Width of the opening so as to enable 10 the orifice plate and the housing comprising the ring to be removed Without disturbing 5 a packing ring of greater thickness than the assembly of the housing.

the Width of said opening in order to impart In testimony whereof I atiix my signature. to the ring suicient body to make it durable, JAMES P. FISHER. 

